Mine-door.



A. BLEVINS, C. F. KILGORE 6L A. L. BLEVINS.

MINE DOOR.

A. BLEVINS, C. I'. KILGORE IL A. L. BLEVINS.

' MINE nooR,

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20. 1916.

Patented June 5, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'narran s'rarns aan ALONZO BLEVINS, CHARLES F. KILGORE, AND ALLEN L.BLEVINS, OF COEBURN, VIR- GINIA., ASSIGN ORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS, 0F ONE-FOURTH TO SAID ALONZO BLEVINS AND ON 14E-FOURTH TOSAID KILGORE, AND ONE-FOURTH TO MASON L. JOHNSON AND `ONE-FOURTH TOJOSEPH J. BODY, BOTH OF DANTE, VIRGINIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 5, 1917.

Application filed April 20, 1916. Serial No. 92,478.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.

Be it known that we, ALONZO BLnvrNs, CHARLES F. KILGORE, and ALLEN L.BLEVINS, citizens of the United States, residing at Coeburn, in thecounty of Wise and State of Virginia, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Mine-Doors; and we do declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

Our invention relates to improvements in mine doors of the type whichare normally closed and opened automaticallyby the passage of mine carsover the track in the tunnel across which the door is positioned.

The object of the invention is to provide eflicient means for operatingthe door without employing a multiplicity of complicated parts.

With this general object in view, the invention resides in certain novelfeatures of construction and in unique combinations of parts to behereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter beingsupplemented by the accompanying drawings which constitute a part ofthis application and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the invention with the door and its framein horizontal section;

Fig. 2 is a side( elevation showing the door frame in section;

Fig. 8 is a vertical transverse section taken on the plane indicated bythe line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4- is an enlarged section showing the manner in which the carwheels operate the depressible rails;

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section showing more particularly themounting of the main operating gears of the door; and

Fig. 6 is a detail longitudinal section through one of the depressiblerails taken on the plane indicated by the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

In specically describing the construction shown in the drawings abovebriefly described, similar characters will be placed on correspondingparts throughout the several views and reference will be herein 4made tothe numerous elements by their respec-z A20 to the rails 1.

tive indices. To this end, the numerals 1 designate the parallel railsof an ordinary mine track, said track extending through a door frame 2which is suitably secured in a tunnel or the like 3. A pair of uprightshafts 4 extend between the upper and lower ends of the frame 2 and arerotatably mounted in appropriate bearings, said shafts carrying the twosections 5 of the door, which sections are normally disposed as shown inFigs. 1 and 3, The shafts Llare provided with beveled pinions 6 meshingwith comparatively large beveled gears 7 which are mounted on bolts orthe like 8 extending through spacing sleeves 9 and through the sides ofthe door frame.

Horizontal longitudinally disposed links 1() are pivoted to the gears 7above the centers thereof, said links extending in opposite directionsfrom the frame 2 and being pivoted at their other ends to the upper endsof rigid crank arms 11 which are secured to and rise from the oppositeends of crank shafts 12, said ends being mounted rockably in appropriatebearings 13 preferably secured to the rails 1. The cranks 14 oftheshafts 12 are preferably formed by bowing the central portions of saidshafts upwardly between said rails l, these cranks l being' normallyinclined as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2 and supporting thereonthe intermediate sections 15 of a pair of depressible rails, these railsbeing preferably constructed of angle metal as shown. The sections 15are connected at intervals by transverse bars 15tL riveted or otherwisesecured thereto.

Slotted plates 16 are securedto and project beyond the ends of the railsections 15, said plates supporting thereon the inner ends of the endsections 17 of said depressible rails, said ends having headed studs orthe like 1S passing through the slots 19 of the plates 16, wherebysliding and pivotal connections are established at these points. Theouter ends of the sections 17 are pivoted at The intermediate sections15 of thedepressible rails as well as the inner portions ofthe sections17 thereof are normally raised above the rails 1 by coiled springs 21disposed beneath the ends of said sections 15, whereby said rails willbe always properly positioned to be operated by the 2 passage of a minecar thereovei. The cranks 1st are held in operative-relation in respecttothe depi'essible rails by the tension 'of coiled springs 22 connectedat one end to the crank arms 11 kwhile their' other ends are anchored byany suitable means such as rods 23 having turnbuckles 24 for varying thetension of the springs 22. As shown most clearly in FigzpQ the springs22 also serve to hold the gears 7 normally in proper position to retainthe door closed, said-springs also exerting their tension to close saiddoor when'fopened.

By construct-ing the invention in the manner sho-wn and described, thepassage of a mine car upon'the depressible rails consist-y ing of thesections 15 and 17, will depressy said rails fromthe position shown inFig. 3 'to that depicted in" Fig. 1. 'The result or this movement isthat the shafts -12 are rockedbythe cranks 14h-this movement causing thecrank arms 11 to so operate the` links 10 as totui'n the mainA operatinggears 7, the latter now transferring motion tothe door sections 5through the instrumentality of the lpinions 6. This opens the door andallows the cark to pass therethrough and when saidcarhas left thedepressible rails and again travels onto the rails 1,' the springs 21and 22 will return all'parts to their normal positions. Y It is-to beobserved that both cranks 14 incline upwardly toward the doors andcontact with the rails 15 at points spaced between Vthe rock shafts LZand saiddoors. This structure yor an-equivalent arrangement is animportant feature since` a car approaching the doors 1n either direc-rtion will open said doors in the direction in which said car istraveling' as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. By this arrangement,therefore, economy in space is had and the depressible rails need not beof such length as would be necessary if the toward an approaching car.1t is also to be noted that when one crank 14 moves downwardly by theweight of a car traveling onto s the adjacent end of the railsl 15, theother crank rmust move upwardlyy to a slight yextent due to theinclination of said cranks.

This 'operation is readily permitted, however, byy th connectionsbetweenthe parts 15 and 17, said connections consistingfof the slotted platesCopies of this patentmay be obtained for doors 5 opened ,n

ing.

combined pivotal and sliding'y 16 and the headed studs 18shown` mostclearly in Fig. 6.

From the foregoing, taken in connectiony with the accompanying drawings,the construction, manner of operation and advann tages of the inventionWill be readily under f stood without requiring a more extendedexplanation. In conclusion, however, we will state that althoughcertaink specic detailsy The combination with a railway and a Vdoormounted to swing across the vsame, a

pair of operating links extending to opposite sides of said door,operating connections between said door and links for opening the formerin either direction according to thc direction in which the links areshifted, a depressible rail passing beneath the door and disposedadjacent one rail of the railway, inclinedv rail sections at and in linewith the ends of said depressible rail, said sections 1 being bothpivotally andfslidably connected with the endsy of said depressible railand being pivoted to said one rail of the railway, and a pair of rockshafts extending transversely of the railway on opposite sides of thedoor, said shafts having upstanding crank arms pivoted to the aforesaidlinks and additional cranks upon which the depressible rail rests, saidrail bearing on said additional cranks at points spaced toward the doorfrom said rock shafts whereby a car traveling in either direction willopen the door in the direction said car is travel;

1n testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing` witnesses. s

ALONZO BLEVINS@y s CHARLES F. 'KILGORE ALLEN L. BLEVINS. Witnesses:

W. H. MOODY, B. Y. PERRY.

ve cents each, by addressing `the Commissioner of Patents,`'Washingtoinin C.

